Any quick formulas for distance and altitude?

[CornFlyer]

hey charter guys, i'm new to flying jets and was wondering if there was a formula for figuring out what altitude to fly for certain distances. I'm currently in a Citation II and was wondering if there were any quick formulas. For example, if I'm flying direct wherever and it is 150 NM...what altitude is optimum for the trip? Thanks!

 

[AcroTim]

How about this...

Distance/Average Speed (in units NM per minute) = Trip total time,

THEN...

Time/3 (3 segments - climb, cruise, descent) X Average Rate of Climb =

Ballpark Altitude

It may seem complicated but its fairly simple. Works well in King Airs for short trips. Learned it from a guy with over 20 years King Air experience.

Example for King Air for 120 NM:

120NM/4NM per min = 30 min total trip time

30 min/3 segments = 10min/segment * 1500 ft/min = 15000ft max ballpark altitude

Hope this helps!

 

[Headwind]

I use the distance of the trip as target altitude. Example: 150KM= 15,000 feet, or 320KM= FL320. This should work good on the Citation. Lear 31 or 60 would use this formula + 5,000 because of their rate of climb.
When in cruise, multiply your altitude x 3 and when that equals distance to landing it's time to start down. Example:FL320 x 3 = 96 miles or 15,000 feet would start down at 45 miles out. I used this on King Air's and Citations.

HEADWIND